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Monday, January 12, 2015

"L.A.’s reluctance to vote by mail hurting candidates, causes"

Wonderful to speak with John Wildermuth at the San Francisco Chronicle for this one.

“If Los Angeles voters decided to turn out, it could absolutely swing the outcome of California elections,” said Jessica Levinson, a clinical law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. “But now, we’re ceding many political decisions to Northern California.”

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There are plenty of reasons county voters are avoiding the polls. Los Angeles is home to a young, transient and heavily ethnic population, all groups that seldom are regular voters. Add that to a general lack of concern about politics, and you have a recipe for disinterest on election day, Levinson said.

“The county is so spread out and voters have so little contact with their elected officials that Angelenos often don’t think about how state and local government can affect their lives,” she said.